'This evening, Mervyn King, Governor of the Bank of England, is having a banquet in Newcastle on the day that it was announced that in the final quarter of 2010 the UKs economy shrunk by 0.5% causing fears among economists that we could be heading for ‘stagflation’.

The banquet, which coasts £55 per person, is the only opportunity for ordinary, working people and people on fixed incomes to speak to Mervyn King and it is not likely that the majority of people could afford such an excess, especially now that inflation is at 3.7%.

In a time when there is so much public concern over the state of our economy and when everyone is feeling the pinch, everyone should be able to ask questions and express their fears to the man at the helm.